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As my shoulder starts to feel stronger I have started to work on some bigger projects. Ive been
picking pieces to work on that dont take too much muscle, or building. More along the lines
of some clever ideas and some painting.
This closet needed a new floor, some minor repairs, and bit of a punch.
The original color of the cabinet is a creamy mocha. I gave it a good sanding and distressed the
edges. I white washed the doors and sanded them smooth before waxing. The fleur de lis were
stenciled with dark wax. That was a spur of the moment experiment and it worked. I also dark
waxed the inside edge of the raised panel on the doors.
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| https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/175663495/unique-door-knob-art-deco-plate-shabby |
I sat cross legged on the floor in front of the closet marking all the cuts needed for the new white
tongue and groove floor boards. Then I would take the boards outside and cut them with the jigsaw.
You start at one side and work your way across. I enjoy the process of making things fit and work.
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Free woodworking plans to build a custom closet organizer for wide reach-in closets. Can be customized to suit your needs and budget.Over the years Ive been redoing many of the closets in my home. The closets previously contained a single rod and shelf which didnt provide efficient use of space. These plans were inspired by the ClosetMaid Selectives 25 in. White Custom Closet Organizer
What Youll Need
Materials
- (2) 4 x 8 Sheet 3/4" hardwood veneer plywood (for organizer)
- (2) 2 x 4 Sheet 1/2" hardwood veneer plywood (for drawer boxes)
- (1) 2 x 4 Sheet 1/4" hardwood veneer plywood or tempered hardboard (for drawer bottoms)
- (3) Blum 230M Epoxy Coated Slides 12" 3/4 Extension 100# Class Self Closing
- (20) 3-1/2" Wood screws (to secure to studs)
- (6) 1" pan head wood screws (to attach drawer front to drawer box)
- Shelf Pins
- (6) 23-3/4" x 15" 3/4" Plywood Shelves (7 if your closet is 6 wide or less)
- (1) 72" x 15" 3/4" Plywood Top Shelf
- (2) 18-3/4" x 15" 3/4" Plywood Shoe Rack Shelves
- (2) 23-3/4" x 2-5/8" 3/4" Plywood Nailers
- (1) 23-3/4" x 3-1/2" 3/4" Plywood Top Nailer
- (5) 15" x 3-1/2" 3/4" Plywood Side Brackets
- (1) 27-1/4" x 3-1/2" 3/4" Plywood Top Shelf Support (Left)
- (1) 18" x 3-1/2" 3/4" Plywood Top Shelf Support (Right)
- (1) 23-1/2" x 5-1/4" 3/4" Plywood Drawer 1 Front
- (2) 23-1/2" x 10" 3/4" Plywood Drawer 2 Fronts
- (2) 12-3/4" x 4" 1/2" Plywood Drawer Box 1 Sides
- (2) 1 9-3/4" x 4" 1/2" Plywood Drawer Box 1 Front/Back
- (4) 12-3/4" x 8-3/4" 1/2" Plywood Drawer Box 2 Sides
- (4) 1 9-3/4" x 8-3/4" 1/2" Plywood Drawer Box 2 Front/Back
- (3) 12-1/8" x 22-1/8" 1/4" Plywood Drawer Box Bottoms
Cut Plan
Depending on the size of your closet and any modifications to the plans you choose to make your cut plan may need to be different. . Cut the back shelf supports, top shelf and shoe shelves a little longer than necessary and trim them to size during installation.
3/4" Plywood
The main components of the closet organizer are constructed of 2 4 x 8 sheets of 3/4" plywood which will provide for a very strong closet system.
The 1/2" plywood is used to construct the drawer boxes. Youll need 2 2 x 4 Sheet. A good choice is PureBond 1/4" Maple Plywood
1/4" Plywood
For the drawer bottoms youll need 1 2 x 4 sheet of 1/4" plywood or tempered hardboard.
You can choose to paint or stain/finish the plywood any way youd like. If youre painting use low VOC primers and paints and if youre staining/finishing use water based stains and finishes to prevent your clothes from smelling. Oil based paints, stains and finishes tend to out gas for a long period of time and being in a confined space like a closet will concentrate the smell which will be absorbed in your clothing.
After you cut out all the pieces paint or stain/finish the components before assembly. It will make the installation go a lot quicker. Before finishing read the entire plan to understand which edges should be edgebanded before finishing.
Why Install A Closet Organizer?
If you live in an older home, the closets may not be as big as youd like which means its important to get as much out of the space as possible. The single rod and shelf configuration that existed in my closets wasnt cutting it. One of my closets was 6 wide which meant I had 6 of rod space and 6 linear feet of shelf space. By installing a closet organizer I preserved my rod space but doubled my shelf space. It makes it easier to find what Im looking for and helps keep my clothes from getting wrinkled when bunched close together.
Why Build When You can Buy?
There are many different closet organizers you can buy. The ClosetMaid Selectives Organizer Ive installed are pretty nice and not too expensive but you only get a basic closet organizer system. Adding accessories to make it more useful starts to bring up the price tag. Building my own will save some money.
The ClosetMaid Selectives organizer is constructed of 5/8" melamine coated particle board and I have installed some 5/8" melamine coated Closet Maid shelves as well. In one closet I am storing some heavier items and even with a span of only 26" there is noticeable deflection (bending). Building a closet organizer out of 3/4" sheet goods will make it sturdier and using something like PureBond hardwood veneer plywood can result in a more attractive closet that is also formaldehyde free.
Of course being able to customize the closet organizer is also a very attractive reason for building one yourself.
What Type Of Plywood To use?
At a minimum I would recommend 5/8" thick sheet goods but 3/4" is preferred and usually easier to find. Hardwood veneered plywood is stronger and a more attractive option. Since most of the organizer will be covered with clothes you dont need to get the more expensive cabinet grade plywood. The domestic plywood available at Home Depot, such as PureBond is a good choice. If you like the scent of cedar on your clothes and the purported insect and mildew resisting properties you might want to consider making the organizer out of 3/4" aromatic cedar plywood if you can find it. 3/4" MDF (medium density fiberboard) is a little cheaper if you plan on painting it. Melamine coated particle board is also affordable and you dont have to worry about finishing the panels. Some people like the melamine coating because its easy to keep clean and saves some time by not having to worry about painting or finishing. Particle board isnt as strong and durable as MDF or better yet plywood. In the end you should get what your taste and budget allows for.
Step 1
Edgebanding should be applied to the front edge of both Side pieces and the bottom of the top Nailer. You can edgeband the bottom of the other two nailers if youd like but chances are youll never see those edges.
Having already cut and finished the plywood components its time to start assembling the closet organizer cabinet. Lay one of the Side pieces on a flat work surface and attach the 3 nailers as shown using pocket holes and screws. The 3.5" nailer gets install flush with the top of the Side panel. The 2 2-5/8" nailers get installed at 14-3/4" and 41-1/4" from the bottom.
The nailers provide support to the cabinet as well as a structure to secure it to the wall.
Youll notice that a small notch is cut at the back/bottom of the side panel. This is to accommodate for the baseboard installed in the closet so that the organizer can sit flush against the back wall. The measurements for this cut will depend on the size of your baseboards. You dont have to be very precise and scribe the exact profile as this part will be hard to see.
Step 2
Install the 2 Fixed Shelves. The fronts of the shelves should be edgebanded before finishing. These shelves help give the organizer strength. They are installed on top of the 2 thin nailers that were installed in the previous step. Use pocket holes and screws to secure the Fixed Shelves to the organizer Side piece.
Step 3
Now attach the other Side piece securing it to the Nailers and Fixed Shelves using pocket holes and screws.
Step 4
With the main cabinet frame of the closet organizer assembled you can begin to start installing your closet organizer.
Position the organizer in your closet where youd like it depending on how much double and single rod area you prefer. This organizer doesnt work that well with sliding closet doors because most people will want to install this close to the center which will be blocked by the doors. Installing bi-fold closet doors will give you more access into your closet but you might also be able to get away with installing the organizer more towards one side if you dont need a lot of long hanging area for example.
Once you have the organizer positioned where youd like make sure its level and secure it to the wall by driving 3-1/2" wood screws through the nailers into the wall studs.
Step 5
The side brackets help support the shelves and provide a secure surface to attach the closet rods.
Attach the Side Brackets that support the closet rods and shelves to the side walls. The plan calls for these brackets to be 15" long. Before you cut them out check the stud locations on your walls to see if you might need to make them a little longer to be able to screw them securely into 2 studs.
All the supports except one should be edge banded on the front and bottom. One of the supports which gets installed on the lower rod area of the double rod section (left in picture) should be edgebanded on three sides, top, bottom and front before finishing.
The back of the supports should be up against the back wall of the closet. On the double rod side two supports are installed at 42" and 84" above the floor. On the single rod side three nailers are installed. One for the closet rod at 84" above the floor and two at 7" and 14-3/4" above the floor for the shoe rack.
Make sure the supports are level and secure them into the studs using 3-1/2" wood screws.
Step 6
The Top Shelf Supports only need to be edgebanded along the bottom edge.
You should have cut these out a few inches longer than your plan had called for. Measure and trim them to size and screw them into the studs on the back wall using 3-1/2" wood screws making sure theyre level.
On the cabinet side the flange should be installed so the top-center of the rod is 12" away from the back wall and 82-1/2" above the floor for the top rods and 40-1/2" above the floor for the lower rod. If everything else was installed accurately and level the rod should also be level but double check for level before screwing into the cabinet.
Once your closet rods are installed your organizer should look like this.
Step 9
Drawers add convenience and a nicer appearance to the closet organizer but you can save a significant amount of money by omitting them and just installing more shelves. The cut plan accounts for extra shelves. One of the things I didnt like about the ClosetMaid Selectives closet organizer kit I purchased was that it didnt have a lot of shelves and necessitated purchasing either more shelves or drawers to make up for it which added to the cost.
If you choose to omit the drawers youll save money by not having to buy the additional 1/2" and 1/4" plywood for the drawer box construction as well as the drawer slides and drawer pulls. Instead you can add shelf pin holes and 2 adjustable shelves for added shoe storage.
One of the biggest cost benefits however comes from building your own drawers. For what it costs to buy just one of ClosetMaids drawer kits you can build all three drawers for our DIY closet organizer.There are 3 drawers in the plan. One 5-1/4" and two 10" drawers that get installed in the lower section of the closet organizer. You can choose any drawer pulls youd like.
The drawer fronts should be edgebanded on all 4 sides.
Three drawer boxes are needed based on the design and drawer slides selected:
- (1) 4" H x 1 10-3/4" W x 12-3/4" D
- (2) 8-3/4" H x 1 10-3/4" W x 12-3/4" D
For instructions on construction please see my article on how to build drawer boxes.
Once the drawers are installed this is what your finished organizer should look like.
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Bigger than a reach-in, too small for a walk in, this new closet organizer design for my coat closet should help satisfy its many uses.
Every so often I declutter the coat closet but it never lasts long. The coat closet serves many purposes, not only does it store coats and jackets, its where most shoes wind up. Its where the vacuum cleaner lives as well as some other bulky items that wont fit in other closets and that seem too inconvenient to store in the garage or basement. As a result, it gets hard to use and shoes wind up disappearing in the fog of junk that winds up growing on the floor.
My coat closet has an awkward size of 51" wide by 35" deep. Almost a foot deeper than a traditional reach in closet but not quite deep enough or wide enough for a proper walk in. The current layout involves one rod at 68" off the floor and 2 12" shelves above that. Because of the lack of shelf space, most of what gets stored in that closet winds up on the floor unless it can fit on a hanger. The new design has a little more hanging space but more than 3 times the shelf space.
Over the years Ive tried to sketch out a good plan to utilize the space more efficiently but have never been thrilled with what I came up with. Many plans tried to turn the closet into a small walk-in layout with shoe shelves on the left and hanging storage on the right but that created a very narrow aisleway that made it difficult to use the closet and wasted space.
Finally, I think Ive come up with a design that allows the closet to be used to its full potential. The design consists of shelves on the left wall for storing shoes and other items, a double hang rod for shorter coats and jackets and a single hang rod for longer coats on the back wall. On top of everything is a shelf that is deeper than the current shelves to store some bulky items that cant seem to find a home elsewhere.
Normally the closet rods would be positioned 12" from the back wall but that would create a few problems. Youd have to take a full step into the closet to reach your jacket which means the section of the floor by the door needs to be kept clear, which unfortunately is not always the case. Keeping the floor clear also means a large area of the closet that cant be used for storage.
In this design I bring the closet rods a few inches forward which creates a bit of a gap behind the coats to store the odd things in the closet that are nice to have handy but dont frequently get used. Things like tv trays, the bulk box of AC filters that are stored there, and it even leaves room for an upright vacuum cleaner handle so its not right in the middle of your coats.
The shoe storage is the biggest improvement. Most of the coats in the closet will fit on the double hang area which leaves most of the single hang area open and the shoe shelves accessible. If more coats are hung in the single hang area it becomes a bit of a pain to reach the backs of the shoe shelves but it beats having to dig around a pile of junk on the floor looking for them. Designing a closet organizer for this closet came down to which compromises seemed the least annoying.
What Youll Need
Materials
- (2) 4 x 8 sheets 3/4" Plywood
- (50) feet of Veneer Edgebanding to match plywood
- (3) 6 1x4 Boards (Sure-Wood Forest Products 1 x 4 x 6 S4S Untreated Appearance Grade Maple Board
- 1-1/2" wood screws to secure shelves to supports
Tools
- Circular saw and guide or table saw to cut plywood
- Miter saw to cut pieces to length
- Drill/Driver and bits
- Hacksaw
- Pilot hole/counter sink bits
- Kreg Pocket Hole Jig
- Kreg KMA3200 Shelf Pin Drilling Jig
- (1) 14" x 11" Top Shelf Wing (3/4" Plywood)
- (2) 46-3/4" x 21" Cabinet Sides (3/4" Plywood)
- (1) 16-1/2" x 21" Cabinet Bottom (3/4" Plywood)
- (2) 16-1/2" x 4" Cabinet Stretchers (3/4" Plywood)
- (1) 16-3/4" x 4" Single Hang Support (3/4" Plywood)
- (1) 22 x 21" Single Hang Shelf (3/4" Plywood)
- (6) 35" x 11" Side Shelves (3/4" Plywood)
- (1) 49-1/2" Top Rail (1x4 Board)
- (1) 22" Single Hang Rail (1x4 Board)
- (2) 34-1x4 Left Rails (1x4 Board)
- (3) 11" Side Rails (1x4 Board)
- (6) 34-1/4" Shelf Side Rails (1x2 Board)
- (12) 11" Shelf Front/Back Side Rails (1x2 Board)
Cut Plan
This cut plan is based on the measurements of my closet, you will need to make adjustments for your closet dimensions.
3/4" Plywood
Ill likely be using a 3/4" hardwood veneered Plywood for this project. Below is the cut plan for the 2 4x8 sheets.
1x2 and 1x4 Boards
The 1x4 boards are used as rails to support some of the top shelves. The 1x2 boards are used to support some of the shoe shelves. Below is a cut plan using 6 boards. I chose to design around 6 boards because I noticed Home Depot has Sure-Wood Forest Products Maple Boards
Step 1: Cut and Finish
Before assembling the closet organizer Ill double check measurements then cut out all the components, apply edge banding where necessary. Might not stain to keep things bright but will apply 4 coats of Minwax Water-Based Polycrylic. Likely 3 coats gloss and final coat of satin. Its a good idea to use waterbased finishes for closets because oil based finishes can outgas for many months and make your clothes stink.
Another option is to purchase prefinished plywood and edgebanding. Its a little more expensive but will save a lot of time.
Step 2: Prepare Closet
While waiting for the finish to fully cure, Ill rip out the old shelves, rod and supports, patch any holes using joint compound and paint the closet with a low VOC water based paint. Either Zinsser Perma-White or Benjamin Moore Aura.
Step 4: Assemble Double Hang Cabinet
The cabinet that creates the double hang section is the only component that doesnt have to be assembled in place.
Start by cutting a 3/4" x 3-1/2" notch at the top of each side panel to accommodate the 1x4 top shelf rail. 2 pocket holes should be drilled on the insides to attach the cabinet to the top rail as shown.
Attach the 2 side panels together with the 2 Stretchers using 4 pocket hole screws in each stretcher.
Attach the Cabinet Shelf on top of the bottom Stretcher so that its flush with the front and back of the cabinet. Use 8 pocket hole screws as shown.
Looking at the cabinet now, I think it would be a good idea to round the bottom front corners before edgebanding and finishing so there isnt a sharp corner someone could bang their head against when bending over to get something off the closet floor.
Install the closet rod flanges so the top of the rod is 1-1/2" below the top of the cabinet and shelf respectively. The center of the rod should be 2" from the front of the cabinet.Step 2: Install The Top Rail
Using a level, locate the high point in the floor along the back wall. From that point, measure 82" up from the floor and draw a level line all the way around the closet at the 82" mark.
Trim and attach the top rails so the top is flush with the level line where necessary. Use 3-1/2" wood screws to secure the rails to studs. Start at the front/left part of the closet, next the left wall, finally do the back wall.
Step 3: Install Double Hang Cabinet
Mount the double hang cabinet in the right corner and make sure its level and pressed up against the top rail so the top of the cabinet is flush with the top rail. Secure it to the wall by driving 3-1/2" wood screws through the bottom stretcher into studs in the back wall. Drive screws into the right side wall studs as well for extra support. Finally drive 4 pocket hole screws into the top rail using the pocket hole screws drilled when assembling the cabinet.
Step 4: Install Top Shelf
Start by checking the fit of the Top Shelf and the Top Shelf Wing. Make any adjustments if necessary then using 5 pocket hole screws, attach the wing to the correct side of the shelf as shown in the bottom view below.
Position the top shelf and wing on top of the top rails and screw it in place using 1-1/2" flat head wood screws. Make sure to predrill pilot holes and countersinks so the screw heads sit flush. Drive screws about every 8-10" around the perimeter into the top rail as well as the sides and top stretcher of the double hang cabinet.
Step 5: Mark Side Shelfs and Install Supports
Draw level lines to help position the side shelves. The first line should be 17-1/2" down from the bottom of the top shelf as shown. The back supports might need to be longer than 11" so that its long enough to be screwed into at least 2 studs.
For the rest of the shelves you can space them as best suits you. Keep in mind 12" spacing is good for folded clothing and other items, shoe shelves only need 7" of spacing.
Once all the supports are installed, attach the shelves and secure them with 1-1/4" wood screws (pilot holes and countersunk).
Step 6: Single Hang Section
Measure and draw a level line 72" above the floor and install the Single Hang Shelf Rail. It needs to be at least as long as the shelf as well as long enough to be secured into 2 studs. Use 3-1/2" wood screws to attach it to the wall.
Prepare the pocket holes in the bottom of the Single Hang Shelf. Now position the Single Hang Shelf on the shelf rail but do not secure it yet. Use it as a guide to position the Single Hang Support. The Single Hang Support has 2 pocket screws at each end on the back. Once you have it aligned properly, secure the Single Hang Support to the top shelf and first shelf.
With the support in place, attach the shelf to the back rail using 1-1/2" wood screws (pilot holes and countersunk) and pocket hole screws into the left support and the double hang cabinet side on the right.
Finally, install the closet rod flanges under the Single Hang Shelf so that the rod sits 1-1/2" below the shelf and 2" back from the front of the shelf.
The coat closet organizer is now complete. Time to fill it back up and hope it doesnt get as messy as fast!
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